England 57 Barbarians 26: Ashton roars in to lift Lancaster

Stuart Lancaster faces an anxious wait to discover whether Toby Flood and Manu Tuilagi will be with his England squad when they leave for South Africa on the back of a record victory at Twickenham inspired by a Chris Ashton hat-trick.

The national coach saw captain-for- the-day Phil Dowson carried off in the closing stages as his side ran in eight tries, while Mike Tindall scored one of the Barbarians' four.

Replacements: Tagicakibau for Sackey (44),Contepomi for Tindall (68), Fillol for Lawson (57),Jones for Tialata (60), August for Smit (60),Lakafia for Qera (60), Taele for Beattie (68).

Att: 42,269

Ref: John Lacey (Ireland).

But Lancaster claimed the Northampton back-rower had not suffered any major problems from a bang to the head, then expressed hope that two of his leading backs would be fit to tour on Wednesday.

Flood was removed from the Leicester squad prior to Saturday's Aviva Premiership Final, allegedly with a groin problem, but Lancaster said: 'Leicester chose not to risk him, but we fully expect to be able to take him to South Africa.'

Another Tiger, Manu Tuilagi, is in danger of being cited for a tip-tackle on Danny Care at the start of Saturday's final, but Lancaster said: 'Looking at the incident, I am pretty confident he'll be fine.'

As a means of preparing for the rigours of three Tests against the Springboks, Sunday's game left much to be desired.

But there were grounds for satisfaction.

Dylan Hartley brought controlled ferocity and assurance on his return from a ban, while Tom Johnson showed energy, awareness and deft handling to suggest he could fill the void at No 6.

In the second row, Mouritz Botha was magnificent - carrying with authority.

The wing's first try came via an angled burst on to Lee Dickson's reverse pass, the second was a routine finish after interplay from Hartley and Owen Farrell, while the third was an opportunist's effort from close range from Farrell's kick.

Familiar face: Mike Tindall (centre) scored a try for the Barbarians

Hartley rumbled over from a lineout catch-and-drive, Dowson put Christian Wade over and the Wasps flier teed up Jonathan Joseph's second try.

The London Irish centre had already touched down after Farrell's chip bounced invitingly, while Richard Wigglesworth capitalised on Johnson's astute pass.

Plucked: Barbarians' full back Mils Muliaina jumps for the ball at Twickenham

In all, Farrell kicked 17 points but was far from convincing in open play. It is clear England still have issues to resolve in the 10-12-13 midfield axis.